The five monkeys and a ladder experiment goes as such:
You put five monkeys in a certain environment. In the environment, there is a ladder, which at the top of, has a bunch of bananas. Upon seeing the bananas, one monkey goes up, and tries to grab one, but before he can reach it, they all get sprayed with cold water. All of the monkeys, now frightened of getting drenched in cold water after many times of the same thing happening, do not climb the ladder. Now, one of the monkeys are removed, and replaced with a new monkey. After seeing such an easy way to get the bananas, he too climbs the ladder, but before he gets to far, the rest of the monkeys grab him, and bring him back down and beat him, so they do not get punished. After a number of times of getting beaten, the new monkey also does not try and climb the ladder. Again, another monkey is removed, and a new one is put in his place. He too follows the same path as the first new monkey, only this time the first new monkey also beats him, even though he has never felt the water. Soon all of the original monkeys are replaced, and the newer monkeys continue the tradition of pulling any monkey down and beating them up for climbing the ladder, even though they do not know what it is that happens when they get the bananas.
This social experiment is thought to represent religion. It is to realize that we might all be following what we believe in because "That's just how its done around here". It depicts society with less of a morality, and a need for fear of the unknown. Part of this could have been observed in the society and mistaken for cause and effect; maybe they ate from the wrong bush and died from its fruit, so they never eat that particular fruit anymore. Another example would be that there was more “Crime” before it was thought to be crime. This could be as simple as “Steal and you will suffer in the afterlife”. Surely nobody alive has been there and back to let us know, but there was a heavy reliance on spirituality and religion in a time with less certainties in the real world, and the utmost certainty in the afterlife. This lead to certain rules being honed over centuries that had to be followed in a faith, but without reason that can be experienced.
With society as advanced as ours, (or so we think) it is hesitant to believe that we may be following doctrines blindly and so willfully. With faith being the most reason we have as to why we should and shouldn’t do things, it is no wonder that we have been so far behind to where we should be, as we have put so much effort into uncertainty. With the continuation of religions sole purpose to give meaning to life, and to provide a set of morals, is it really necessary?
With where society is heading, we might need a little push in the right direction, but I believe with parents undertaking the responsibility of teaching their children the correct way to behave, and a good set of morals, we are heading in the positive direction, if and only if there are more enlightened parents. This is a good thing as many lives have been lost in squabbles over this uncertainty that gives people more motivation than the joy of life, or principle of unity.
It might as well be said that God has properties. He has not, but only attributes and these are of our own making.
Nikola Tesla
